A New King
by CaityJay
Summary: Why is Yozak so hard on Yuuri? Set on Bandarbia/Van dar Via after Yuuri's first attempt at Morgif. Inspired by Yozak's reactions which, to me, are twice as obviously jealous in the manga as in the anime. Drabble. Language.


Yozak slammed his fist down on the table, rattling the cups and flagon which sat upon it, but not the man across from him. Not Conrad, no, his old friend and captain was impossible to ruffle. It was infuriating.

Watching his friend's expression remain cold and blank, feeling the weight of the brown eyes warning him, Yozak sighed and sat back down. "I just don't see how you can have such great faith in this guy," he argued again, trying to get through to the stubborn man across the table even though he knew it was hopeless. "He's a _kid_, for starters. He's lived his whole life in a sheltered world. He knows _nothing_ of the responsibilities of an _adult_, let alone a king! Yet you insist. You insist on putting him on the throne, making him king, allowing him to make decisions about a country he's _never lived in!_" He stopped again to take a breath. "Pardon my saying so, Captain, but I think this whole thing is just asking to fall apart."

His only warning was the slight creasing of Conrad's forehead. Then he laughed. Yozak was not pleased. Confused, a little hurt, and definitely not pleased. He was about to ask what the other half-breed thought was so damned funny when he spoke.

"You're jealous."

Yozak gaped. "Excuse me?"

Conrad turned that smile on him, the one that on good days made his brain turn to marshmallows but today just got him irritated. "That explains why you've been so hard on him."

Yozak let out a frustrated yell, flinging his arms out and falling back against his chair with a _thunk_. "I'm hard on him because he's a _child_ whom you, that wrinkled dick Shinou and the rest of you idiots have stuck on a throne and made a figurehead out of. I don't see anyone else trying to see if he's actually got two wits to rub together, you all think he's a god or something. What do I have to be _jealous_ of?"

"Julia."

That sure as hell stopped his tirade. They sat in silence, staring at each other. Conrad was practically daring him to protest. Well, Yozak wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.

"Yes. Julia. He does sound a lot like her with all his talk of peace and getting along. But Julia was not the _Maoh_."

Conrad merely shook his head, that infuriating smile back in full force, belittling him, saying he knew just what Yozak was really feeling, but it was all right, he understood. It made him crazy.

"No. But Shinou thought she could be."

"Shinou is dead! He's not a god! The lot of you are idiots for worshiping him and following him blindly instead of thinking for yourselves!"

"Yozak."

The smile was gone, anyway, thank whatever gods there were for that. But the expression that replaced it wasn't much better. It was painfully similar to the one his friend had worn in the months and years after the war. But then, Yozak had been able to hold that face in his hands and coax the smile back onto it--the one with the marshmallow effect.

Now was different.

Yozak sighed, closing his eyes in the semblance of calming himself down, but in truth to escape that heartbroken expression. "Don't do that," he pleaded softly, his tone defeated and tired.

"You're right." That was not what he'd been expecting to hear. The blue eyes blinked open warily. "I want to believe that Yuuri will be the one to end the struggling in this world. I want his naivety and innocence to project from his throne and infect the people with its purity. But you're right. He's not ready."

_Now_ his old captain was making sense. Yozak had opened his mouth to tell him so, but his friend continued.

"That's why we need you. He needs you." Yozak blinked. Conrad, for the first time in this conversation, glanced away. "I need you."

Damn that heartbroken face. Even looking away, his captain kept his chin up, pride intact even after such a powerful admission. Only his captain. Only his captain wouldn't see such needs and emotions as a weakness. If Yozak didn't know better, he'd say he was being played. But no, Conrad was just that secure. If he said he needed him, he needed him, end of story.

"Alright."

Brown hair flipped into equally brown eyes as Conrad's head whipped back around. "'Alright'?"

"Yeah. Alright. Yes, sir. I get it." His heart felt physically lighter now that the grief had been replaced by confusion on his old friend's face. "If you need me, here I am."

Conrad smiled. And what were left of Yozak's arguments turned to marshmallows.


End file.
